The Rugged Type
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: I was ignored at Ouran, and that was plenty fine with me. I was a commoner, but also... not? it's hard to explain. What isn't hard, is how I ended up trapped by the Host Club. I just wanted to garden and work with horses in peace. Why did that moronic blonde have to go and ruin things for me?
1. Chapter 1

**Got this one while reading the manga for "Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji".**

* * *

I rolled my shoulders as I pulled off my hat and wiped at my sweaty forehead, looking up at the vibrant pink school as the sun rose higher in the sky and I leaned on my shovel next to the stables; my breath fogging up in the chilly weather. _Yet another morning, and I_ still _wish I was back home._ I sighed and began shoveling manure out of the stable of Ouran High School, like I did every day at four in the morning. It'd become a habit for me, having transferred here from an agricultural school up in Hokkaido, where I'm originally from. I honestly didn't wish to leave, but my parents insisted that I get a good education in business here, since my mother was such good pals with the chairman. I honestly didn't see the merit in it, but I accepted if only to make them happy. _That's what I get for accidentally mentioning that I wanted to raise horses_ and _take over the farm._ _But at least this school has an equestrian club and a gardening club. I need to keep my hands busy._ I sniffed as a piece of hay tickled my nose, but continued on cleaning the stables and soon moving on to brushing down the horses, before students started showing up and I frowned; knowing that I would need to change out of my dark green overalls and into something cleaner before classes started up.

I ended up changing into some jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt with a thick hoodie; giving the horses one last pet before heading off into the school as I pulled on my baseball cap once more. _I'd rather not gather attention in a place like this. It's bad enough I can't afford the uniform with my family's wages, but having word get out that I'm from a_ much _lower class definitely wouldn't be good._ So I kept my head down and headed inside, ignoring the murmurs from the students around me who'd yet to grow used to my presence. The only one who seemed to pay me any mind, was the angry-looking red-head from 2-D; Ritsu Kasanoda. We were pretty good friends. I wasn't afraid of his icy-glare like everyone else. I had friends back home who had stares worse than his. That, and we were both in the gardening club and hung out during lunch discussing better ways to improve the growth of the school's vegetables and fruits in the greenhouse. Other than that though, we didn't talk to each other much. We were in two different classes after all. I was in 2-A; apparently being pretty smart despite my low class upbringing. _Shocking what you can learn from agriculture._

Of course, this also meant that I was in the same class as one Tamaki Suoh—commoner lover and president of the school's famous Host Club—and Kyoya Ootori—Shadow King and vice president of the Host Club. Luckily, the 'commoner lover' Tamaki had yet to notice my presence since I usually arrived in class very early and sat near the back of the room; _far_ from his seat. That being said, I had this nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen today and that it'd have something to do with said 'commoner lover'. And it had nothing to do with my daily horoscope.

 _Bad luck will befall Taurus today._

 _Aries is very incompatible and avoid the color yellow._

 _Your lucky item is a horseshoe._

I grimaced at my phone and held tightly onto the horseshoe I'd picked up at my old school one day while caring for the horses. It had always been my good luck charm, but even more so now as I begged the Gods not to let anything terrible happen to me today. And everything went well for the most part. Up until it was time for club activities. The equestrian club met four days a week and gardening only two, and today was the day I went to gardening club. On the way there though, the most unbelievable things started happening. I tripped on my shoelaces and took a nice fall down a set of stairs—thus earning a trip to the nurse's office—someone opened their shoe-locker after that, and hit me smack dab in the face. Then, once outside, I slipped in a puddle and fell into some rose bushes, tripped over a root and face planted into a tree, and finally got hit on the head by a falling bucket of water.

I tipped the bucket up so I could see and gave an annoyed glare as the person responsible rushed over apologetically.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, Toru!" Kasanoda apologized, bowing repeatedly and passing me a towel to dry off once I'd taken the bucket off and he saw what kind of shape I was in. "What happened?" His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched at his sides as he grew angry. "Is someone messing with you?! 'Cause I'll help you out if they are!"

I sighed, waving my hand nonchalantly as I wiped some of the water off my face. "No. I've just had some _really_ strange... luck." My eyes widened and I passed him the bucket before scrambling for my bag and digging through it. "Where is it? Where is it? Where _is_ it?!"

"You lose something?"

"My horseshoe!" I said in a panic, finally flipping my bag upside down and searching for it, but finding it nowhere as devastation overcame me. "N-No way. It's gone."

"I'll help you look for it." Kasanoda offered. "Just retrace your steps."

I nodded and rushed off; Kasanoda searching the outside of the school as I searched inside, but to no avail. We soon met back up at the greenhouse and I shed my jacket in the warm place, sitting on a bench and dropping my head in my hands.

"I lost it. I can't believe I actually lost it. It's no wonder I'm having rotten luck."

Kasanoda pat me harshly on the back—though I doubt he meant to do it as hard as he did. "It's alright, Toru. We'll just need to keep looking. It'll turn up sooner or later."

I sighed, too down trodden to really put up an effort. "It's not a dog, Ritsu."

"A-Ah." He grumbled, before I took a deep breath and pushed up from my seat.

"No use crying over spilt milk." I muttered, though I knew I'd search for the stupid thing until the ends of the earth, but right now I had club activities to tend to. "How are the tomatoes, Ritsu? Did the change in the position of sprayers help any?"

He nodded and off to work we went, adjusting a few things in an attempt to make the vegetables and fruits grow better, before the teacher in charge of our club entered and yawned as he spoke.

"The Host Club up in the third music room is requesting some fruit since they've run out."

Usually, Kasanoda did the delivering and I did a lot of the tending to the plants, but I knew he had an issue with the Host Club—have no clue what it was exactly, but whatever—so I called out to the teacher with a hand raised limply over my shoulder.

"Give me the list. I'll take care of it."

The man nodded and passed the paper as Kasanoda hurried over, and the teacher left as I started gathering what was on the list into two large milk crates.

"T-Thank you, Toru."

I waved him off. "It's no problem. Just make sure you take care of that grape vine in the corner. It needs to be trimmed or it will take over the tomatoes."

He nodded and hurried off to do that as I finished packing the strawberries, bananas, and a number of other rather _exotic_ fruits into the crates, pulling my hoodie back on, and lifting the heavy boxes easily; heading to the third music room with thoughts only about my lost horseshoe. Upon opening the door though, all those thoughts were dashed at the scene of a number of shirtless men dressed in Southern outfits calling out.

" **Welcome!"**

I blinked, adjusting the box of fruits on my shoulder as I tried to wrap my head around what was going on exactly. I'd heard of the Host Club and what they're supposed to do, but I never really expected anything like this. _It's like an over-the-top group of cosplayers… with_ _ **money**_ _._ Two red headed twins sighed, leaning on the spears they were holding.

"Boo."

"It's just another guy."

I felt my cheeks heat up then as I got a good look at the group, in particularly, the rather tall one. _W-Whoa… Is he over 180cm? And his_ _ **arms**_ … I swallowed thickly, shaking out of my thoughts of well-defined arm muscles and was finally able to get my voice out.

"Y-You, uh, asked for fruit? From the gardening club?"

The glasses wearing one nodded and pulled a notebook out of nowhere and began writing something down.

"Yes. Perfect. Did you have everything on the list?"

I nodded, looking around the decorated room in slight interest; though more for the exotic plants than anything else.

"Yeah. Found a bit of it all, actually. It's good the greenhouse has temperature regulators in the different rooms, or you wouldn't be able to have all this. It's pretty hard to grow non-native fruits in areas of completely opposite temperature and climate." I rattled off, turning my gaze back to his; which was covered due to the light reflecting off his glasses.

"Hm, quite." He turned away. "Mori-senpai, if you would."

There was a deep grunt that came from behind me and the box on my shoulder was lifted up with ease as I turned to find myself face-to-chest with the tallest member of the group that I had been eyeing earlier. He only seemed taller in person and I felt my cheeks tint a nice red once more until he reached to take the second crate from me.

"Ah! No, it's alright! I can carry it. Just let me know where you want it." I quickly said, my nervousness seeming to take hold.

He watched me for a moment, but upon seeing that I wasn't struggling—especially since I had to take three flights of stairs just to get to this room—he nodded and began walking off; expecting me to follow him, I'm sure. So I did, but not without those twins wandering over and eyeing me.

"So, who are you?"

"Yeah, you never told us."

"Toru Ookawa. Class 2-A. Member of the equestrian club and gardening club. Got in through recommendation and a scholarship in... agricultural business?" The glasses guy rattled off, sounding confused by the last bit as I set the crate I had beside Mori's on a table.

"Yup." I hummed. "My mom's good friends with the principal here and he sponsored my scholarship. Apparently it used to be a real thing but got forgotten when the iron horse became a big thing here. The principal just pulled it out of the archives, I guess."

" **Ehhhhh."** The twins drawled.

"So you are..."

"...a commoner too?

I winced at the word, feeling sweat begin to slide down the back of my neck as I tried to figure out what I should say; and also because it was a bit hot in this room with the heating up all the way.

"Um, not exactly. I'm—"

I was cut off from having to save anything by another host; one who _wasn't_ wearing anything ridiculous.

"You guys, just leave him alone. I'm sure he's got better things to be doing than answering all your questions." He said. "I'm Haruhi, by the way. Haruhi Fujioka."

"Ah, Toru Ookawa." I said, awkwardly bowing as he bowed back and gave me a look.

"Um, why are you acting all formal? You're _my_ senpai, aren't you?"

I chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of my neck. "A-Ah, I guess I am. Sorry. I'm just a bit flustered. This is a lot to take in, and I only came here to drop off some fruits." I sighed then. "Ah, Ritsu's going to get mad I left him alone in the green house..."

"But we didn't get to introduce ourselves!" Tamaki wailed and I mentally groaned as he stuck a pose. "I am Tamaki Suoh! The Princely Type! This is Kyoya Ootori, the Cool Type! Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the Little Devil Type! Mitsukuni Haninozuka, the Lolita Type! Takashi Morinozuka, the Wild Type! And Haruhi Fujioka, the Natural Type!"

I blinked at him. "Uh, thanks. Though I could've done without the 'types'. I'm not a customer here, you know."

Tamaki immediately went into a dark corner and pouted, as I turned to the others; unbothered.

"Nice to meet you all though, but I better get going."

Kyoya stepped forward. "Of course. How much is it for the fruit?"

After Kyoya and I haggled out the price a bit, I went to leave when I had a thought and turned back to everyone.

"Oh, and let me know if you guys find a horseshoe lying around anywhere. It's something important to me, so..."

The twins tilted their heads in confusion. "A horseshoe?"

I nodded as Honey bounded over and looked up at me. "What's it look like, Toru-chan?"

I furrowed my brows at the nickname, but shrugged it off. "It's, uh, metal, with small holes in it, and it's shaped like the 'hi' in hiragana… sort of…" I furrowed my brows a bit, before shaking off the strange feeling I'd suddenly had. "Just let me know if you guys see it anywhere. It's my good luck charm."

The twins scoffed. "Really?"

"You believe in that sort of thing?"

I deadpanned. "Ever since I've lost it, bad things have happened."

Honey looked me over in worry. "Is that why you've got all those band-aids, Toru-chan?"

I nodded, ticking off the incidents on my fingers. "I tripped on my shoelaces and fell down the stairs, and someone hit me in the face with their shoe-locker door. Then, I slipped in a puddle outside, fell into some rose bushes, tripped over a root and face planted into a tree, and got hit on the head by a falling bucket of water."

The group winced as I sighed with a shrug.

"So, I figure it won't stop until I find—"

"Wait! Toru-kun! I have it! I have your shoe thingy!" Tamaki wailed, rushing over excitedly with my horseshoe and my eyes widened.

Though it wasn't because he'd found it. More like I'd spotted the banana peel on the floor in front of him.

"Tamaki! Look out for the bana—"

I didn't even get to finish before he slipped on said peel and flew right at me. I probably would've dove out of the way and had been fine, if it wasn't for the fact that, upon stepping on the banana peel, he'd thrown my horseshoe; which hit me across the head before Tamaki himself followed, and the two of us tumbled backwards into a red curtain. It didn't stop there though. Why would it?

* * *

The curtain ripped and wrapped around Tamaki and Toru as they fell back, taking with it the curtain pole which knocked over a small palm tree that hit a table with a loud 'crack'. Said table tipped upwards and the tea set that had been on it fell on top of the tangled curtain with the two inside, shattering glass and spilling hot tea on them before everything finally came to a standstill. Mori and the twins hurriedly went into action to pull the two from the disaster, only to cringe at the state Toru was in; apparently having gotten the brunt of it all. There was a red bump forming already on Toru's forehead and the tea had apparently been poured onto his entire left side, as well as him having a few minor cuts from the bits of glass that had poked through the curtain. Tamaki, somehow, was relatively scratch free; Toru's body incidentally having protected him from the onslaught that had been brought along.

Toru let out a groan as Mori lifted him up and off Tamaki, and moved him over to a chair the twins had brought over; a lightbulb going off in the tall host's head as a light pink dusted his cheeks and he went to go help Tamaki next. Honey headed over to Toru in worry, clutching Usa-chan in his arms.

"Neh, are you okay, Toru-chan?"

He groaned again, before lifting a hand and showing him the horseshoe; making Honey grin, before he sat up and chucked it at Tamaki with a shout.

"You idiot! How'd you not see that banana peel?! Look what you did!"

Tamaki sniffled, tears pooling in his eyes before he went off into his corner of woe and Toru winced, clutching at his sleeve as Kyoya cleared his throat.

"For now, I believe it is more important for you to get checked out in the nurse's office, Ookawa-san. We'll get this cleaned up and drop by afterward."

Toru clicked his tongue and shook his head, starting to shrug off his jacket once he took off his cap. "No. It's fine. Probably just minor burns. I've had worse."

As he pulled off his jacket, it got caught on his shirt and revealed a long pale scar across his left side. The Host Club grew stiff at the sight, but even more so when they actually got a good look at Toru.

" **Wha..."**

Toru was ignorant to their shocked gazes as he looked at the tea stain on his hoodie with a frown. Tamaki grabbed everyone together in a huddle then, speaking quietly so as not to alert the only non-host to what they were up to.

" **What do you think, Tono?"** The twins asked as Haruhi frowned, confused.

"Think about what?"

" **Sh!"** They shushed her as Tamaki put a hand to his chin in thought.

"He could do it easily. His style is different. Sort of a rough, outdoor type."

The group turned to look at Toru more, eyeing his slim yet muscular figure, broad shoulders, foreign blue eyes, and his spiky brown hair with the long black pony tail in the back and buzzed sides.

"He was nice to Haru-chan." Honey commented, making the group nod and turn back to their huddle.

"But Tono..."

"...he's already in two clubs."

" **Will he do it?"**

Tamaki turned up with a confident smirk. "We'll just have to convince him to leave one!"

Haruhi sighed as she caught onto his plan and Kyoya rolled his eyes as the group turned back to Toru, who'd already started cleaning up the mess that they'd made. He easily picked up the fallen palm tree and stood it upright, before making to gather up the curtain as Honey bounded over with shocked eyes.

"Wow! You're really strong, Toru-chan!"

Toru looked at him and shrugged. "I guess so. I did a lot of the grunt work at home, so I'm used to it."  
 **"Grunt work?"** The twins questioned and Toru flinched.

"Y-Yeah, you know. Chores and stuff."

Tamaki hurried over then, before anyone could think about what Toru said, and he grinned. "Why don't you join the Host Club?! With those looks, you'd easily be able to draw in some customers and—"

"Not interested." Toru said bluntly, making Tamaki deflate a little.

"But, you'd get to make people happy and you could eat cake and—"

"I've already got two clubs to worry about. I wouldn't have time for this one even if I _wanted_ to join. Which I don't."

"Why not, Toru-chan?" Honey asked, playing up his innocent child look. "Do you hate us?"

Toru turned to him and everyone grew tense, waiting for that moment that Toru would give in to Honey's puppy dog eyes like everyone always does, but he just blinked.

"I don't hate you, but I don't necessarily want to be in another club. Much less one with shady motives like this one." He said bluntly, his words stabbing into Tamaki as he went on. "Plus, I'm busy enough with my other two clubs and my studies. And I barely know you people. I mean, you all seem nice enough, but I honestly don't have time for goofing around."

Tamaki went to his corner for the third time that afternoon and the club members started to give up hope until Kyoya spoke up.

"That table you cracked and the vintage China tea set that was shattered are worth over four million yen."

Toru stiffened and Kyoya pushed up his glasses, going on.

"Add that on top of the ripped silk curtain, and that's a five point six million yen debt."

Toru turned towards him slightly, body tense. "Because blondie over there slipped on a banana."

"Hm, but he wouldn't have slipped if he wasn't rushing over to hand you your horseshoe." Kyoya hummed, a smug grin overcoming his face as he and the other hosts realized that Toru had just been ensnared in the Shadow King's trap. "Surely, you are not thinking of leaving after the amount of damages your actions have caused? What do _you_ think, Tamaki? You _are_ the son of the chairman, after all."

"Fine." Toru muttered and Kyoya turned back towards him with a raised brow.

"What was that?"

Toru scowled, turning around and stomping over to Kyoya angrily. "I said, _fine_. You want me in this stupid club of yours to work off some debt that is _hardly_ my fault? Then _fine_. I'll join your stupid club and I'll quit the gardening club as soon as I head back. But I'm _not_ going to be happy about it, so good luck getting me into any of those stupid outfits, 'cause that's where I draw the line."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "Very well, however, we cannot have a member of the Host Club going around in a state of undress, so we will issue you a proper uniform."

"Whatever." Toru snapped, clicking his tongue before heading for the door. "And I won't start club activities until next week."

Kyoya frowned. "Why not?"

Toru gave him a frown. "Because the gardening club needs a week's notice before anyone leaves in order to make sure that their position is covered once they're gone and that any work they were doing while in the club, has been passed on to someone else properly in order to make sure the quality of the fruits and vegetables grown in the greenhouse does not diminish. Now excuse me, I need to get started."

He snatched up his horseshoe from off the ground and slammed the door behind him once he left, making the hosts flinch, before Honey broke the tension in the room.

"I think Toru-chan is super mad."

"Ah." Mori hummed as the twins shrugged.

" **That's a bit obvious."**

Haruhi scoffed at their ignorance. "Well, I'd be angry too, if I were him. You _did_ just blackmail him into joining a club he didn't want to be a part of and forced him to give up something he enjoys doing just because you thought he'd be a good addition to your club. Sounds pretty greedy, if you ask me; using underhanded tactics to get what you want."

The hosts winced at her blunt reasoning, knowing it was true in this case, but not being able to say anything more about it, because it was time for the club to begin. All thoughts of Toru being pushed to the back of their minds as they went about making women happy; only _one_ of the hosts knowing that Toru was in fact female herself.


	2. Chapter 2

I sighed, long and hard as I struggled to ignore the murmurs and stares I was receiving from other students. _This is all that stupid Tamaki's fault. Him, and that blackmailing rich bastard Kyoya._ It had been a week since I had been forced to join their club and today was my first day, and I was less than pleased about it. Not only had they forced me to quit the gardening club and wear this ridiculous uniform—which was what was gathering attention from people—but they had caused me to lose a good chunk of my time spent with Kasanoda. Even _I_ knew that friendships were harder to keep when we only spent the lunch hour discussing things. And even then, we mostly spent the time to discuss how to better improve the care of the fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse. In the club or not, I had practically raised a good number of those plants and I wasn't about to let some blonde and his shadow ruin my hard work. That being said, I felt bad for how I left the Host Club last week.

I very rarely lost my temper, but they seemed to push all the right buttons that day and with how the day had already been going for me, I had snapped at Tamaki a bit harsher than I usually would have. Kyoya, honestly deserved it, and Tamaki did too, since it was he who put the Shadow King up to it. But the other hosts didn't need to see that. _Well, the twins, maybe. They seem like the annoying type, but even then, I shouldn't have lost my temper._ I let out yet another sigh as I opened the doors to the third music room and felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance at the brightly colored kimonos the group were wearing.

"Ah, excellent timing." Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses. "Yours is in the changing room, Ookawa-san."

"No way in _hell_." I said bluntly, tossing a thumb over at the tallest host. "Unless mine is like Morinozuka-senpai's, there's no way I'm wearing anything like that."

Said host was wearing a darker version of the kimonos the others were wearing. It being a simple, solid dark blue shade with a brown obi around the waist. The others were wearing more vibrant shades of pinks, golds, oranges and greens, and just looking at them made my eyes hurt. Kyoya though, didn't seem to like my answer and pushed up his glasses.

"If you do not, then I will be forced to add more to your debt."

I turned to him with a challenging look. "Go for it. I'll work as hard as you want me to in order to repay this debt, but if I don't want to do something, I won't. I'm not some servant dog."

Two sets of arms wrapped around my shoulders and I gave the twins a bored look as they let out long whistles.

" **Wow."**

"Never thought someone would..."

"...stand up to Kyoya-senpai like that."

" **Impressive."**

Honey bounded over then, looking up at me with teary eyes. "B-But Toru-chan. I wanted to see you in a kimono."

His puppy dog eyes hardly bothered me, being _nothing_ compared to the things I'd seen back home.

"That's nice, Haninozuka-senpai, but I'm not wearing anything I don't want to."

He pouted, looking more upset that his childish act didn't work on me, than being upset I didn't do what he said, when Tamaki pulled a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"Well, we can't force him to wear it, so we'll just have to make do without him."

I felt my brows furrow, getting the feeling that he was giving in far too easily for my liking.

"Though that means he won't be hosting." Tamaki went on, turning away, though I swear I saw a smug smile on his lips. "And no hosting, means no working off the debt."

I stiffened, hearing the twins snicker behind me as I realized I'd once again been outsmarted and that I'd end up wearing the outfit whether I wanted to or not.

"Fine!" I snapped, throwing my hands up and stomping towards the changing rooms. "I'll wear the stupid kimono! But I've got my other club after this, so I'm very damn well leaving early!"

Kyoya smirked as I passed him. "Very well, I'll be sure to add the amount lost while you're absent to your debt."

I stopped and put a hand out, flicking him off before I slid the curtain shut and cursed under my breath as I stripped to put on the black and gold embroidered kimono; being sure to wear my white undershirt underneath of it as I came to realize something. _Tamaki called me a 'he' just now, didn't he?_ I looked down at my bust, wincing slightly before I pulled the kimono over my shoulders. _I can see why. Not much feminine about me, but whatever. I'll leave them to figure it all out._ As I expertly tied the obi around myself, I slipped on the sandals and stepped out; pulling my ponytail out of the back of my shirt to lay over my shoulder as I did so, only to stop when I caught all the hosts staring at me.

"Wah! You look so cool, Toru-chan!" Honey beamed as the twins gave me a thumbs up.

" **Perfect fit!"**

Tamaki was the one to tackle me in a hug though. "My darling son! You look amazing!"

"I'm not your son." I grumbled, not really knowing what to do about the praise other than stand there embarrassed and fidgeting slightly; wondering if I should shove Tamaki off or not.

When he started nuzzling my face though, I grew annoyed and turned my head before promptly biting down harshly on his ear. He wailed and ran over to the others as I stuck my tongue out in disgust.

"Mommy! Our son bit me!" He wailed, clinging to Kyoya who ignored him as the twins turned to me with grossed out faces.

" **Why would you bite him?"**

"I used it on my dogs at home. Makes then subservient." I said, not caring how Tamaki went into a corner and started crying as he drew circles on the ground, muttering about me calling him a dog after I bit him.

The twins though, busted up laughing and clung to each other as they did so before Kyoya clapped his hands together and brought everyone's attention to him.

"Alright, enough dawdling. It's about time we opened up the club."

The group moved to welcome guests at the door and Kyoya positioned me on the other side of one of the twins as we all chorused 'welcome' to the guests and I tried to relax a bit. After all, there was no reason for me to be angry with the students who came into the room. I actually planned on being more than pleasant to them, despite the fact that all I wanted to do was leave and go enjoy my time with the horses for my other club. As I headed to the table Kyoya designated for me though, I couldn't help but see how everyone else hosted. _I can get ideas on what I should be doing in order to get more customers and pay off this stupid debt I landed myself. The faster I'm out of this club, the better._ I passed by Tamaki's table first and couldn't help but grimace at his cheesy lines and teary eyes, quickly moving onto the next table; the twins.

They didn't do too bad. At first. The moment they turned to incest was the moment I paled and scuttled away. Kyoya wasn't even hosting and apparently was doing some sort of business with Haruhi; who I was beginning to have mixed feelings about. There was just something about him that rang bells in my head, though I shrugged the feeling off. _The feminine guy hardly needs more attention._ I mused, arms crossed and hidden under my sleeves, when Mori suddenly rushed past me to where Honey was, catching my eye as he slipped on the small blonde's sandal; earning coos from the girls around them and a slight blush from me. I don't know what it was, but there was just something about the tall, silent senior that I liked. _He reminds me of the horses. Complicated to figure out, but once you get to know them, they can be quite loyal and caring._ I was nearly at my table when one of the twins bumped into me and something fell to the floor. I picked it up and gave it a look, before holding it out to the twin; catching Haruhi's attention as well.

"You dropped this… uh..." I struggled to figure out which twin it was. "...Kaoru?"

He nodded, looking a little surprised and taking the bottle of tear drops from me as Haruhi gave him a suspicious look and went to say something; only for him to cover Haruhi's mouth.

"To tell you the truth, this is common knowledge among hosts."

Hikaru hurried over then and handed him a small box with a pink sweet in it. "Here you go. Some high class Japanese teacake that commoners would never be able to buy."

I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance at his words, but Haruhi accepted the treat in surprise.

"You'll give it to me?"

Some of the guests hurried over in excitement, crowding around the group of us.

"Haruhi-kun, you like Japanese teacakes?" One asked.

"No, but I was thinking that I might place this before the grave of my late mother as an offering."

I felt my heart ache knowing that Haruhi had lost his mother and I made a mental note that I needed to call mine, before some of the guests spotted me and one of them spoke up.

"O-Oh. Who's this?"

Kyoya headed over with a proper business smile and gestured to me. "This is Toru Ookawa, a new host in training. We don't have a type for him yet, but please feel welcome to make appointments with me should you feel interested."

The guests turned to me expectantly and I felt heat rush up to my face in embarrassment as I hastily bowed.

"A-Ah, hello. It's nice to meet you all. Please take care of me here at the Host Club."

I stood upright with a small smile and a number of the guests soon had blushes of their own, before I was swarmed by them as they all started asking questions.

"What class are you in, Toru-san?"

"2-A."

"You're with Tamaki-kun and Kyoya-kun!"

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"What do your parents do?"

"Well, I, um… I'm part of the equestrian club and used to be a part of the gardening club before I joined the Host Club. I rather enjoy working with animals, horses especially." I said, starting to lose my nervousness while talking about my hobbies. "And my parents own a farm up in Hokkaido. I only transferred here this year to study business in order to take over the farm when I'm older and get into training horses."

I hadn't noticed that the hosts had joined the guests and started listening to our conversation as we moved to a table with some couches.

"A farm?"

"Do you have lots of animals there?"

"What kind of things do you grow?"

"Does this mean you live alone?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah, well, we have horses and cows and pigs that we take care of. And as far as plants go, we grow our own corn and cabbage as well as other things like watermelon and strawberries. It depends on the season, really. And I do live alone, but it's not too bad. I'm willing to do just about anything to keep some of the burden off my parents. They both tend to work far too much and my dad's already in ill health." I sighed, thinking about my family back home. "My little brother and sister won't be able to do much, so I hope they hired help for while I'm gone."

"Your siblings help on the farm?"

"What are they like?"

"Hm? Oh, they're pretty cute." I smiled, missing some of the hosts getting a little red in the face when I did. "They're twins, five years old and they do their best to help out. Mostly doing little things like picking fruits and vegetables or feeding the animals."

"Don't you touch me, you faker!" Someone shouted, making me jump up out of my seat at the noise to see a student shouting at Tamaki by the door. "I cannot believe you're recognized as a prince in this club! A prince shouldn't sprinkle his love so easily! It makes girls' hearts tremble if you smile with sorrow! But why do you look so stupid?! It's as if you're a light-headed narcissist! Useless! Too ordinary! You're the worst!"

Tamaki started falling backwards as I took the initiative and began herding the guests out before things got too crazy. I had to thank a number of them though, because they insisted on returning to request me the next time—though I hadn't the slightest idea of what I'd done to earn that—and I chose to change out of the stuffy kimono and into my uniform. _I'll listen to this new girl a bit though, before I head off to the horses. She really let into Tamaki, so it'll definitely be interesting to watch._

" **Fiancée? Kyoya-senpai's?!"** The twins explained as I exited the changing room and eyed the smiling girl.

"Yes. I'm Renge Houshakuji. I'll be in 2-A from tomorrow."

I noticed Tamaki in his corner again, but ignored him in favor of sitting down on one of the couches and munching on a leftover piece of cake that was sitting there; leftover from Honey, no doubt. _That kid can shovel these things away like crazy._ I sort of tuned everyone out there, only getting bits and pieces of the conversation that Renge was having with the hosts, before I heard something familiar.

"You! Who looks like Ichijo Miyabi-kun from 'Uki Doki Memorial'!"

I turned to her and blinked. "Uki Doki Memorial?"

The other hosts freaked out then, panicking. **"Otaku?!"**

I gave them a look. "Uh, _no._ I had a friend in my dorm my first year of agricultural school who was really into dating sims. That being one of them. And if I remember right, she _did_ have this figurine of this Miyabi guy who does look like Glasses over there."

I tossed a thumb over at Kyoya who brought a hand to his chin in thought.

"I see. A girl with a lot of interest in characters. She replaces me with her favorite character, makes me her fiancé, and gets lost in her wild fantasies."

"Her wild fantasies?" Tamaki muttered, a bit frightened of Renge and probably wondering why Kyoya was alright with all of this. "Isn't she your fiancée?"

"I don't remember affirming that fact even once." He said coldly, making Tamaki sigh in relief; though Renge was hardly bothered by Kyoya's coldness.

"From what I see from the report, you're managing everything in this club, Kyoya-sama?"

"Yes!" Honey chirped. "Kyo-chan is the store manager."

"The store manager! It suits him very well!" Renge said, clutching her hands together. "It was my dream to be a draw-girl for the store."

"We don't need one. We're a Host Club." One twin said as the other sighed along with him.

"We're not a bakery."

She ignored them. "I've decided! At the same time, I'll prepare to be a bride! I'll be an administrative assistant for the Host Club!"

Tamaki went to argue, myself wishing I had some popcorn for this, especially since Kyoya said 'play nice' and they dumped everything onto Haruhi. Somehow, he got dragged into baking cookies with Renge and, as badly as I felt for the poor guy, I thought a nap would be a better way to spend my time. I was woken up by one of the twins hovering over me offering me a cookie, but in my blurred state of mind, I went to stretch and knocked his hand out from under him. It wouldn't have been so bad, if he'd not placed a hand on my chest to stop his fall; instantly turning red as I did the same and promptly punched him on the head as I struggled to keep myself calm. Another lightbulb lighting up as the twin hurried off.

"Come on. Keep it together, Toru." I muttered to myself through grit teeth. "Only a little bit longer and then you're free."

But with a wailing Tamaki, a crying Honey, and two _very_ embarrassed pervy twins, I was about all but spent by the time Renge shouted once more.

"You're all not good enough. Everyone's characteristics are very bad! You lack any negative aspects and girls find that dreadfully dull! Girls are weak for beautiful men involved in trauma! Girls will be bored with your so-called dummy actions soon enough! Are you trying to make Kyoya-sama's store go bankrupt?! We'll be renouncing your characters starting today! You first!" She pointed at Honey who whimpered. "Having cuteness outside and inside is the same as toddlers! Thus, change it to 'having a cute face, but actually being a beast'!"

Tears formed in Honey's eyes and I felt a bit bad for him, but Renge went on.

"Morinozuka-senpai! Take care of Haninozuka-senpai by staying with him all the time! And dignify the speeches you make once in a while! Twins, suffer from the fact that people can't tell the difference between the two of you! And be in a basketball club! Haruhi-kun! You'll be a super poor honor student, but you're being bullied! And you, Tamaki-san! Be an institute's idol and people always compliment your appearance, but actually you have a huge complex. Lonely prince!"

"What about..."

"...Toru-kun?" The twins said, drawing her attention to me and I actually stiffened at her intense look; it reminding me of the bull we'd once had at the farm back home and sending a shiver of fear up my spine.

"You act all nice in front of young women, but the truth is you're actually a sadist, who likes to put others in their place below you and runs a group of delinquents!"

"Ha?" I questioned, scowling and feeling very much like Kasanoda in that moment.

She didn't bother responding though and I scowled as even Kyoya didn't seem to want to do anything to stop the woman. Worst part was, he even seemed to be enjoying it alongside Tamaki. I had a club to get to though, and went ahead to change before sneaking out of the clubroom with a sigh. _Stupid morons. Don't drag me into your idiotic nonsense._ I mentally complained, heading out to take care of the horses.

* * *

I scowled angrily, glaring down at Haruhi with a click of my tongue. "This is it? Some big hotshot you are."

"T-Toru-senpai?" Haruhi stuttered out, looking frightened.

"Oh, shut _up_." I snapped, a devilish smirk slowly slipping onto my face as I pulled out a riding crop from my back pocket; whacking it against my palm. "Looks like _I'm_ going to have to be the one to show you who's _really_ at the top of the food chain."

"Cut!" Renge shouted out and I dropped the smirk and turned to her in annoyance.

"The hell kind of line is that? Nobody says anything about people being ranked on a food chain anymore." I complained, but she ignored me and went on to shoot directions at the film crew she brought for whatever this strange skit was.

"What is this? A film crew?" Haruhi questioned, looking a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing as I replaced the riding crop and snagged a towel from a chair nearby to dry my wet hair.

"I heard she hired them from Hollywood." Kyoya mentioned, making my scowl deepen.

 _Rich bastards…_

"When did it change from character reformation to a short film?" Haruhi continued and Hikaru sighed.

"She said something like an opening theme."

"You can't be serious. Isn't this a club? What do you need an opening theme for?" I drawled, pulling out the tie on my pony tail to dry out my hair.

The twins weren't too pleased either, mentioning something about Renge getting their relationship roles wrong or something. Tamaki was still as enthusiastic as ever though and was quick to drag Haruhi away to discuss his newfound skills in acting. I yawned, wrinkling my nose as I wished I had some coffee this morning before I was dragged out here, but Renge's annoying voice called out.

"Haruhi-kun! Toru-kun! Can you two help me for a bit?"

I grumbled low in my throat, but Haruhi gave my shoulder a pat with a small smile.

"Come on. Sooner we do as she says, the sooner this can be over."

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. If blondie is enjoying it, it'll never be over." I complained, tying my hair back again and tossing the damp towel aside as we headed over to where Renge was.

"Yes? What is it?" Haruhi asked once we rounded the corner, only to see two Class-D students looking annoyed with Renge.

"I'd like these people to be in the film too." She smiled as the two looked us over with questioning looks.

"What's the matter? A scholarship student?"

"And isn't that Kasanoda-san's dog?"

 _Dog? The hell…_

Renge threw her fists up in the air in excitement, distracting me from the two's words. "There should always be bad guys in the climax! The club members unite upon being hurt by true villains!"

"Wait, Renge-chan—" Haruhi attempted to stop her and I groaned, seeing where this was going as the ignorant woman continued.

"The story ends wonderfully when the villains reform themselves after Kyoya-sama's touching line!"

"Renge-chan." Haruhi tried again. "Maybe it's convenient for you, but if you only see people 2-dimensionally, don't you think there's so much that you miss?"

Renge blinked, obviously confused, and grabbed a hold of the nearest guy. "I don't quite understand what you're talking about. Well, anyway, please come and stand by."

"Uwah! Asshole! Don't just say whatever you want!" The guy complained, yanking his hand out of her grip and shoving her. "Don't act so big headed just because you're from Class-A!"

"Watch out!" Haruhi shouted, diving for her when she noticed that Renge was headed for some filming equipment.

"Haruhi!" I shouted, going to stop her, but a solid fist landed on my cheek and I stumbled back from the two guys who grinned at me.

"With Kasanoda-san not around, you're free pickings."

"I wonder how he'll react when he finds his dog looking like garbage."

I lifted my lips in a snarl. "I'm not a _dog_ , bastards."

"We'll see about that!"

I dodged the next punch and went to retaliate, only to remember something. _Crap! I'm here on scholarship! If it gets discovered that I was in a fight, I'll get kicked out of school!_ I stopped the punch before it could hit the guy, who—thought pale—chuckled nervously.

"Heh, what's wrong? Even without Kasanoda-san, you're still on a leash?"

"Che." I clicked my tongue, taking a step back only to turn as I heard a clatter. "Haruhi!"

The distraction was good enough for the two guys, one of whom kicked me hard in the stomach and knocked me to the ground before he discovered the riding crop I had on me and I mentally cursed. I blocked a few hits with my arm before there was another shout—from Tamaki this time—and the two guys panicked.

"Suoh!"

Tamaki took one look at Haruhi and went to hit the guys, but I managed to get half-way to my feet and grabbed his hand.

"Let me go, Toru." He snapped with a look I didn't think was possible for him.

"Tamaki, I don't care _who_ your parents are, but the moment you hit him, you're going to get in trouble. So leave it. They're not worth it."

He turned to me to argue, but probably caught sight of my own injuries and looked shocked as the two attempted to run off. Mori was quick to catch them, and escorted the struggling teens away with a stern look as Tamaki went to comfort Haruhi. I felt angry that the young host was in tears, but upon him replying that his contact had just moved, I slumped my shoulders with a sigh. _God, this club is just too bipolar for me to keep up with._

"Camera, did you get that?!" Renge shouted then, making me look up with panicked eyes.

 _No. If she gets a tape of this out, I'll lose my scholarship!_

"This is it! It's perfect! Now, only thing we need is Kyoya-sama's touching—" She was cut off as there was a crash and all eyes went to Kyoya in shock; him having smashed the camera lens. "K-Kyoya-sama…"

"I'm very sorry." Kyoya said, voice stern and unforgiving. "But we cannot leave evidence of the club members' violent acts. And it's very unpleasant of you causing this kind of trouble."

"Why?" Renge cried. "Kyoya-sama, you should have said, 'Don't' worry about it' and pat my head gently. If it's Kyoya-sama…"

"But that's not the _real_ Kyoya." Tamaki mused as Mori and Honey returned and Hikaru sighed.

"Well, it's ok, actually. It was rather fun."

"Speak for yourself." I grumbled, wincing as I pulled myself to my feet.

" **Whoa."**

"What happened to you?" The twins questioned and I glared at them.

"What do you think? I can't exactly fight back when I'm on a scholarship. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the nurse's office."

"We'll come too!" Honey chirped, riding on Mori's shoulders and I didn't even have the energy to argue.

"Fine. Whatever."

The walk didn't take long, but it felt like ages before I was in the nurse's office. The nurse wasn't around though, so I helped myself to the alcohol, swabs, and bandages, only for Mori to take them from me.

"Wha—"

"Let me do it." He said gruffly and I snapped my mouth closed, having not heard his voice until now and silently wanting to hear it again.

I slowly nodded and hopped up onto the bed nearby as he went about grabbing the swabs to clean my palm, which I'd scraped when I'd fallen. I remained silent, wincing slightly at the sting, which Honey spotted.

"Does it hurt, Toru-chan?"

"It's fine." I grumbled. "Like I said before, I've dealt with worse."

"Like that scar on your side?"

I stiffened, frowning at him. "When did you—"

"When you took off your jacket after the tea spilled. It caught on your shirt." He informed me and I sighed, lightly touching the area where it was.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?" _It was a stupid mistake._

"Okay." He chirped, dropping the subject surprisingly easily before Mori startled me by grabbing my other hand.

"W-What—"

He pulled up my sleeve and I winced at the bruising welts appearing on my arm.

"Wha! Toru-chan, that looks like it hurts. What happened?!"

"They got a hold of the riding crop." I grumbled as Mori went to get me an ice pack.

Honey winced as Mori returned, wrapping my arm up studiously, before placing the ice pack on my arm gently. I went to hold it myself, but paused as I briefly looked at his large hand in comparison with my own; flushing slightly before clearing my throat and holding the ice pack in place as he pulled his hand away.

"T-Thanks."

"Ah." He grunted with a small smile, before my phone buzzed and I scrambled to take it out.

I paled at the number. "Oh, God."

"Toru-chan?" Honey called out in worry as I stood and made for the door.

"Ah, sorry. Tell the others to just hang onto my bag until tomorrow. I-I really have to go."

"Toru-chan? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I swear!" I called out, rushing out of the school as I quickly dialed familiar numbers on my phone. "Hello? Mom? Is he alright? Is he okay? The hospital? Which one? I-I've got time! I can make it before visiting hours are over, really! No? A-Are you sure? But mom, I—" I winced when she cut me off, slowing my pace until I stopped and pulled a hand through my hair. "N-No. You're right. Just… Just keep me posted, yeah? If it gets any worse, I'm coming home. I don't need you collapsing too. Tell dad he's an idiot and I love him. Yeah. Bye."

I hung up, tears welling up before I cursed under my breath and wiped them away.

"Idiot. You big stupid moron."


	3. Chapter 3

The hosts all greeted their guests as they led them into the garden area where they were to have their flower-viewing themed club. The twins, Kyoya and Tamaki were wearing proper butler uniforms as they served guests—or in Kyoya's case, sold photobooks—whereas Toru, Haruhi, Honey and Mori were in more formal kimono's. Haruhi was concerned for more than one reason, however. For one thing, Toru looked exhausted. He had dark bags under his eyes and hadn't even argued when informed of the club activities for the day. The other problem was the rather enthusiastic senior mixing tea in front of her.

 _Should I tell him?_ She wondered as Honey abrasively mixed the tea, spilling nearly all of the contents. The guests joining them were in a much similar position as her, though Mori was as calm and silent as ever and Toru on the blanket beside them was more focused on his own tea-making.

"Mitsukuni." Mori said then, leaning over to Honey. "You're splashing."

 _He said it!_ Haruhi and the others watched to see how Honey would react and when a sad pout formed on his face and tears began to well up, the guests were hurrying to accept the small amount of tea left. Haruhi rolled her eyes and excused herself, only to pause at Toru's blanket where his three guests were practically swooning at the sight of him making tea. Haruhi was rather surprised herself at his calm, silent concentration. He looked as though someone had taken him straight from a historical drama with how elegantly he made the tea, as if he'd done it for decades.

"W-Where did you learn to make tea so well, Toru-kun?" One of his guests asked and he blinked, coming out a trance almost.

"Hm? Oh, my grandmother is a big traditional nut." He replied, voice gruff, but a small fond smile on his face. "Kimonos and tea ceremonies were a big deal for her. Never could convince my dad to get into it."

Haruhi smiled a little herself at that, glad that Toru had a softer side to him and feeling bad for what Tamaki and Kyoya were putting him through. She was curious though, about what had happened after Renge first showed up. Honey and Mori had kept a hold of his bag when he left abruptly, but they never did hear what had gone on to cause him to leave. She brushed the thought off though, knowing better than to dwell in someone else's business.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki grinned at her. "How's it going with your group? Not like your common folks' parties, is it? Can't tie neckties around your head and stuff. But see? Originally flower viewing was to appreciate flowers!" He grinned, gesturing up to the cherry blossoms above them.

"I appreciate your attention to detail." Haruhi hummed as Tamaki posed dramatically.

"But then, it's true that we're busier being appreciated than we appreciate something else. And I might venture to say I'm the very paean to spring! So tell me, what part of me most reminds you of spring? Take your time, but three minutes should do."

Haruhi went for the blunt approach. "Your head?"

Tamaki immediately rushed under a tree in despair as the twins took that opportunity to capture Haruhi.

"Haruhi, have you decided your electives for this quarter yet?"

"Let's take the same electives!"

" **We're in the same class, after all."** They chimed, smirking over at Tamaki as they brought out the list for Haruhi to look over.

Tamaki, pouting, spoke to Kyoya as the man worked the club's finances. "Mommy…"

"What is it now, _daddy_?" He questioned.

"This is only a hypothesis, but… I always thought I'm with Haruhi all the time, but that was just an illusion caused by having so many club activities. So, can it be… The twins, for being in the same class as Haruhi, know more about her than I do?"

"Ah, about that matter. I have picture evidence here." Kyoya said, showing him some photos of Haruhi and the twins together before drawing out a chart. "They spend nine hours a day together while they're at school, but your time with Haruhi is only two hours, while you're in the club. If you subtract the time when you're accompanying your customers, that's merely an hour."

"In other words, I can only spend three percent of Haruhi's life with her in a year?!" Tamaki wailed. "I don't want to hear it!"

He immediately went to try and lure Haruhi away from the twins, but when he was foiled, he rounded on Toru instead.

"Toru-kun! You understand, don't you?! You'll take electives with me, won't you?!"

Toru glared tiredly at the blonde who'd moved to cling to him. " _Ha_? Why the hell would I do that? I didn't even want to be in this club with you, let alone deal with you in my elective classes."

Tamaki reeled back as though he'd been stabbed, before Honey rushed up to Toru and Haruhi in excitement.

"Haru-chan! Toru-chan! When are your class's physical examination days? Let's compare heights!"

Toru raised a brow at the blonde, looking down at him in silent question of why he would want to compare their heights, but the other hosts realized something. A physical exam meant Haruhi—being considered a male—would have to walk out in front of people shirtless. Haruhi seemed to realize this as well.

"That… is not good."

* * *

The hosts were acting strange. It was annoying, because whatever it was apparently didn't involve me, though I did enjoy that afternoon off. I had checked in with Kasanoda in the garden and upon finding that everything was going well, had gone to the stables. The horses needed to be let out to roam the coral anyway since it was the Equestrian Club's day off, and it gave me a chance to nap out in the grass. With my father having collapsed from overwork a few days ago, my mind had been preoccupied with concern for the farm and for him and my family. My mother had informed me that she'd hired someone for the duration of my father's hospital stay, but we were already low on money and I was considering asking the headmaster if I could work part-time after the Host Club to try and make some extra money. The thoughts kept me up at night—hence why a nap was necessary—and I could only hope that the rest of the school year would go by quickly so I could return home to work for the summer. With my father on work restrictions, we would need all the help we could get.

 _And then there's this._ I walked through the crowded halls with an annoyed scowl on my face, wishing to just get past the bundles of student milling about as they went to start their physical exams. The headmaster had been kind enough to give me a private room after mentioning my scar and, after some mournful tears on his part, that was where I was headed now. I could have cared less as to what the hosts were doing, since there was no club or class anyway, so I had nothing to worry about. Or so I thought.

"Ah, you're Ookawa-san, yes? You can remove your jacket in the back." The nurse pointed out and I nodded, removing my outer jacket and tugging my tie loose as I walked back behind the curtains, only to freeze. Haruhi, with her shirt around her elbows and a light pink camisole covering her, stared at me in shock as I did very much the same.

"Y-You're a girl."

"Yeah…" She murmured and I scratched my cheek.

"Right… I feel a bit stupid now." I gestured to myself. "You don't mind if I…"

She blinked. "What?"

It clicked then and I groaned.

"Oh, you didn't know either. You're as bad as those other morons, though seeing as I didn't notice _you_ were a girl, I guess I have no room to talk."

" _You're_ a girl?!" She gaped and I nodded.

"No one ever asked."

She smiled a little. "Same."

I snorted and continued stripping off my shirt, only to spot an older man climbing in through the window behind Haruhi.

"Oi, the hell you think you're do—"

My snap was cut off by his hand covering my mouth and I very nearly hit the man as he panicked, if it weren't for someone else taking care of it for me.

"Usa-chan kick!"

The man was thrown back as a short blonde landed in a crouch on the ground beside me and I frowned, understanding dawning on me as various long-winded monologues sprang up. _The idiot Host Club._

"Screw this." I muttered, walking out and heading over to the nurse to finish my exam while they dealt with whoever that man was.

My height was taken and my other measurements, though when it came to weight, the nurse frowned.

"You need to eat more." She lightly chided me as she checked my breathing and heart rate.

"I've been busy." I grumbled.

"Any aches or pains?"

"Nothing other than the obvious." I replied, holding up my still-bandaged arm.

"Nothing out of the ordinary?"

"No."

She gave me a look and tapped my forehead. "You're not sleeping right either."

I scowled. "And you're awfully picky for a nurse. Can I go now?"

She sighed. "I'll write up a meal plan for you, but yes. You can go get dressed."

I grunted and went back into the changing area to replace my shirt, only for the group of hosts to turn my way and go beet red.

"What?" I snapped in annoyance, moving past Tamaki to grab my shirt, tie and jacket.

"Y-You're a woman?"

"No, I wear a sports bra because I think it's funny." I rolled my eyes sarcastically, giving Haruhi a look. "How do you deal with these morons?"

"Aspirin." She replied and I snorted as Tamaki pointed.

"B-B-But… Why didn't you say anything?!"

"You never asked." I scoffed. "And I don't really care what you lot think. Simple as that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go buy dinner."

" **Can we come?"** The twins asked, moving to hang off my shoulders, but I ducked and allowed them to clonk their heads together as I continued walking; pulling on my school jacket with a flourish.

"Hell _no_."

* * *

The Host Club sat huddled together sans Toru.

"So what do we do, boss?"

"Yeah. Toru's gotten worse. I mean, she gets along with the guests alright, but she's still angry with us."

Honey smiled. "Maybe Toru needs a vacation!"

Mori nodded and Tamaki clicked his fingers.

"You're right! She _has_ seemed a little down lately. A vacation is exactly what she needs! We can take Haruhi too!"

"And _where_ exactly are we going to do this?" Kyoya questioned.

Tamaki turned to him with a grin. "Didn't you say your family had an indoor pool they wanted to try out?"

"Hm, perhaps that will work out. I'll see when I can get permission for us to go. Are we going to do it afterschool?"

Tamaki nodded, practically vibrating in excitement for his brilliant idea. "Yes! That way both she and Haruhi can unwind after a long day at school!"

Kyoya stepped away to make the arrangements as the others continued to discuss things.

"So, what do you think is up with Toru?" Hikaru asked as Kaoru nodded.

"Yeah. She's been a bit spacy lately, have you noticed?"

Honey pouted. "She's been like this ever since she got that phone call and rushed off."

" **Phone call?"**

Mori nodded. "She saw the number, got pale, and rushed off."

"She left her bag with us too, remember? Ever since then, she's been looking tired and upset about something."

"Who was it from?" Tamaki questioned, curious.

The group shrugged as Kyoya returned.

"We'll be allowed in next week after school. I've already informed the chairman and Haruhi's father."

"Kyoya! Do _you_ know why Toru's been acting strange lately?" Tamaki asked and Hikaru nodded.

"Yeah. You keep tabs on everyone, after all."

"I haven't looked into it." He answered, pushing up his glasses. "Why don't you just ask?"

"Like she'll answer." Hikaru scoffed and Kaoru sighed.

"She's too standoffish. I doubt she'd answer anyone."

"Hm, very well. I'll see what I can dig up."

" **Yes!"** The twins high-fived with matching grins and the group drifted off in discussions of what their plans were going to be for their little vacation trip.

* * *

Elsewhere, Toru sneezed and scowled down at her horoscope for the upcoming week.

 _Things will be a bit chaotic next week for Taurus._

 _Sagittarius will start conflicts and an abundance of water should be avoided._

 _Your lucky item this week is a bracelet._

 _But hang onto that temper, Taurus!_

 _Some problems are better confronted than avoided._


	4. Chapter 4

The fragrance of the coconut aroma and the chirping of the small birds. The warm wind moves the gentle waves. _Like hell._ I clicked my tongue in annoyance, passing a hand through my hair as I rubbed the back of my calf with a sandaled foot. The artificial breeze brushed my bare navel while blowing the edges of my blue plaid, button-up shirt to reveal the simple black bikini top.

"Why the hell did you lot drag me here?" I snapped, annoyed with the fake sun and not pleased that the twins had snatched me up from finishing my Equestrian Club duties and forced me into the changing room.

I was smart though, and didn't give in entirely with their wants of a full bikini outfit; sticking with the top, but ditching the bottoms for a pair of male swim trunks.

"It's to help you relax." Tamaki informed me. "I'm calming down and there aren't any clients to serve. I call this, a handsome warrior's break time."

Haruhi looked about as pleased about this mess as I was as Tamaki pulled her aside to point out an exotic bird.

"Look at that, Haruhi. There is a bird from South America. What could its name be? Sometimes, killing time with trivial conversations such as this is important to people like us who take care of beauty daily."

Haruhi gave the bird a bland look. "Not only is it trivial, but it has got nothing to do with me. So, can I leave now? And what does Kyoya-senpai's family do for a living anyway?"

Kyoya grinned from his seat at a table nearby, a fruity, coconut drink in his hand. "Well, we manage a plethora of enterprises, Haruhi. If they have anything in common, wouldn't you say they are all 'recovery related'?" He shot a look at me then with a small smirk. "Speaking of which, how's your father, Toru?"

I bristled. "How the _hell_ did you know about that?"

He pushed up his glasses and glanced at a clipboard on the table. "Well, he's staying at one of my family's hospitals after all. Let's see… Collapsed due to fatigue, stress, and overwork. That's not so bad. It's nothing for you to lose sleep over and I'm sure he'll recover in no ti—"

He was cut off as I grabbed the front of his shirt with a shaking fist and half pulled him up out of his chair.

"Now you listen here, Ootori. I've dealt with you idiots thus far and I've tolerated the stupid outfits and the menial labor, but I draw the line at you lot snooping into my family. _Got it_? So, if you want me to stick around and continue to be tolerable, then you best shut up now and stay the fuck away from my family. Otherwise, I'll toss you in that pool right now and _you_ can deal with the alligators. Understand?"

His eyes narrowed, but he nodded and I released him, stalking away and tossing my shirt off before diving into the current pool to vent some stress. It was either that, or I strangle the Ootori and anyone else who encouraged him to look into my family. _Which was probably_ all _of these idiots._

* * *

Tamaki looked over at where Toru had run off, twisting his fingers anxiously as Haruhi sighed.

"I think you guys took it too far this time. If he wasn't mad before, he sure is angry now."

Tamaki pouted. "I just wanted to know why he was upset."

"So _ask_ next time, idiot. And if he still refuses to answer, then accept that. Digging into his life isn't going to make him any happier."

The twins rushed up then, grinning away; having not seen the mess that Kyoya and Toru had gotten into.

"Haruhi! Let's go play in the water!"

"Where's your swimsuit?"

The two gave her a look at the thin yellow hoodie she wore with her shorts.

"You didn't pick one from our extensive collection? Can't you swim?"

"I can swim just fine, but these kinds of places aren't really fascinating to me. Plus, dressing for swimming is kind of a hassle anyway. I like wading pools."

"Wading pools?"

Haruhi tried to explain to them what she meant, but Tamaki pulled them aside in his attempt to get them to stop pestering Haruhi; who only grew more annoyed with the rich kids.

"Haruhi!" Honey chirped, latching onto her arm. "Let's go play in the current pool!"

Haruhi spotted his rabbit-covered floatie and blinked.

"Honey-senpai can't swim?"

"Oh, this? Really cute, don't you think?" He chirped, bounding off towards the pool.

 _And you do like bunnies…_ Haruhi thought as Kyoya cleared his throat.

"You're missing a subject in your sentence there."

The group rethought Honey's cutesy sentence and added in 'I'm' at the front as realization settled in. _It's all an act!_

"Hey, everyone! Look!" Honey called out and all eyes went to where he was sitting on Toru's back as she continued to angrily swim in the current pool. "It doesn't go forward!"

The group only got more distracted though, when the twins squirted Tamaki with their super-soakers.

" **Tamaki, let's play."**

"Me and Kaoru versus Tamaki."

Tamaki tried to play the mature man and wiped at his face with a towel. "Who wants to play such childish—"

Hikaru grabbed Haruhi's hand. "Haruhi, let's get married right now. We'll honeymoon in Atami."

Tamaki wouldn't have that and grabbed a gun, pumping it hastily before chasing after the laughing duo as Haruhi settled in and grabbed a coconut drink. Mori came over, tapping his head to get some water out of his ear and Haruhi handed him a drink as well.

"Taking a break? Want a drink?"

Mori nodded and took the coconut as Haruhi looked over at the relaxed Honey still sitting on top of Toru.

"You should probably take a rest too, Toru-kun." She called out, knowing the angry woman must be a bit tired now that her anger was probably fading.

What she didn't see, was Tamaki leaping to the side with his water gun to hit the twins.

"Take this! Deadly blow, sideway rolling beam!"

He hit the twins dead on, but his head also smacked into the lever controlling the current pool. A wave rolled up and Honey wailed as he and Toru were swept away.

"Honey-senpai! Toru-kun!"

"Honey! Toru!"

Mori dove in to try and go after him, but he missed the current pool Honey was in and ended up in the counter current.

" **The currents are pulling Honey-senpai, Toru, and Mori-senpai apart!"**

"Kyoya, how do you shut it off?!"

"I can't imagine how! The lever's broken!"

"First of all, let's go after Honey-senpai and—" Tamaki was cut off as he attempted to go into another pool, only to be met with alligators, and from there, piranhas.

Mori had made it back, though Kyoya was worried about other things.

"Let's see… Alligators roaming loose creates some difficulties, the piranha pool may need rethinking, and the controls for the artificial currents should be relocated. Thanks to you, I collected useful data. We needed test subjects to find glitches."

It was then that the group got a good look around them and paled at the jungle-esque area.

"W-Where are we…?"

* * *

I coughed and hacked, trying to push myself off the ground with weak arms as I tried to orientate myself. I was completely soaked, washed up on the side of the current pool and surrounded by nothing but trees and the ominous sounds of whatever creatures the Ootori group thought would be appropriate for their jungle theme.

"W-What the hell…"

"Toru-chan!"

I jumped, rolling onto my back in one swift movement and staring wide-eyed at the bouncing young blonde senior who grinned away.

"Oh, Haninozuka-senpai…" I muttered, relaxing and sitting upright; pulling my pony-tailed hair over my shoulder and ringing some of the excess water from it. "What the hell happened?"

"Hm." Honey put a finger to his chin. "I think Tama-chan hit the lever for the current pool."

I scowled, flicking my hair back behind me as I stood. "That idiot."

"Come on, Toru-chan!" Honey grinned, taking my hand in his and leading the way. "Everyone's probably worried."

"Whatever." I grumbled and we walked in relative silence for maybe a few minutes before it started to pour rain. "Oh, come _on_!"

"Over here!"

Honey tugged me to a tree and we settled under that to keep out of the rain, before the inevitable happened.

"Neh, what happened to give you that scar, Toru-chan?"

I lightly touched the mark with a frown. "A stupid mistake. I don't like talking about it."

Honey didn't really take the hint though and grinned, pointing to a light mark on his arm. "I got this one mishandling a sword once! And this one—" He gestured to another on his calf. "—from not jumping far enough in a training exercise! And this—"

"Yes, alright, fine." I cut him off, seeing as he wasn't going to stop until I told him. "It was a bull, alright?"

He blinked, tilting his head. "A bull?"

I nodded. "I hadn't been paying attention. I'd… had a fight with my father and went out to the pasture without checking if the bull was out and without shutting the gate behind me. It hit my side and stomped on me a few times before my dad came out with the dogs and chased it off long enough to get me out of there and to a hospital."

"Oh." He murmured, looking at the mark. "Does it still hurt?"

I shrugged, looking up as the rain lightened. "Sometimes, but I get more pain from my leg." I pat my right thigh lightly. "It broke my femur in a number of places, so doing too much can bother me at times."

He nodded as we headed out of the cover of the trees in search of the other hosts once more.

"Did something happen the other day?" He asked. "When you got that phone call?"

I scowled, glaring at the small senior. "Did _you_ ask Kyoya to look into me?"

"Everyone was worried." He said, neither answering nor denying. "You look really tired, Toru-chan, and we wanted to help."

"There's nothing you can do anyway." I snapped shortly, clenching my fists at my side. "I wish you lot would have just let me be instead of dragging me into this Host Club mess and meddling with my life."

Honey shook his head. "No, you don't mean that, Toru-chan. You're having fun, aren't you?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but paused. _With all the crap that's happened since I was forced into this group?_ But I knew that I still went home after a long day with the group and laid on the couch, unable to stop thinking about it. I would remember the rest of the day and shake my head at their antics, but still end up smiling at the end of it. None of the hosts knew this. They hadn't seen me smiling yet, however… _I've never really felt happy like that except after riding. I've only just joined their idiotic group, but I guess…_

"I guess it can be a bit fun." I admitted, catching Honey's grin and turning away from him with pink cheeks. "Just don't tell that idiot blonde I said anything, got it?"

"Uh-huh!"

I stopped then, lifting my head with a frown and making Honey stop.

"Toru-chan?"

"Sorry, I think I heard something. A _lot_ of something, actually."

Honey tipped his head and his eyes widened. "Ah! It sounds like people marching! I think some of the hosts are in trouble!"

"Ha?" I questioned, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me forward until we caught sight of some soldiers with guns.

"Ah, Takashi's in there and Haru-chan!" He said in a rather loud whisper, before starting to scale a tree. "I'm going to help them."

"Well, I've got some pent-up stress." I grumbled, rolling my arm as I held my shoulder. "I'll help you out."

He grabbed a hold of a vine and swing in like a miniature Tarzan as I pushed through the brush on the ground.

"Takashi! Haruhi! Duck!"

Honey knocked one guy into three others as I tapped the shoulder of the man nearest me and promptly punched him in the face.

"W-What do you think you're doing, you little brat?!" One man said, rushing towards Honey, but the small blonde surprised be by easily throwing the man over his shoulder.

I blinked, ignoring the man struggling in my choke-hold and kicking another man to the ground in front of me as I stomped on his back.

"Heh. You dare to be so noisy when you can't even fight properly?" Honey questioned the five unconscious men around him as he clapped dirt off his hands. "If you mess with my friend, you are a goner!"

 _Well, I guess that works._

"Haruhi! You're alright!" Tamaki called out, him and the others bursting into the small clearing as Hikaru blinked.

"Huh? Honey-senpai?"

Him and his brother went over to the unconscious people lying about, poking them with sticks.

"I don't know what happened, but it seems like everything's fine."

Haruhi looked rather stunned though as she fought to escape Tamaki's hug. "Hold on… how did…"

"You didn't know?"

"Haninozuka is renowned for military arts."

"Honey's the national middle school champion in karate and judo."

"Oh, makes sense now." I said, dropping off my own unconscious guard and drawing attention to me as Honey grinned and climbed up my back to sit on my shoulders.

"Toru-chan's strong too! She helped me!"

The twins looked at the goon I'd dropped to the floor in slight surprise.

" **Seriously?** "

My eye twitched. "Yeah. Got a problem with that? One tends to build up muscle when working on a farm all their life. That, and while I may not have had any fancy lessons or anything, I've fought with the occasional cocky asshole in town." I crossed my arms over my chest. "They seem to think that the women in the area are all weak-willed maidens or something. I tend to keep city folk and others from getting too hands-on with the women."

"Ah, Takashi!" Honey leaned slightly and I adjusted my weight so he could reach up and pet Mori's head. "I praise you for protecting Haruhi. You weren't too lonely without me, right?"

"Not really…" Mori grunted out, shifting his eyes to me. "Are you okay?"

I blinked in surprise, unable to help the slight blush that drifted onto my cheeks at the sound of his voice being directed at me.

"U-Uh, yeah. I'm fine."

He grunted, placing a heavy hand on my head and ruffling my hair. "Thank you for helping us."

I nodded shakily, unsure what to say, if I should say anything at all. Honey chuckled though, pulling my drifting mind back into my body as he went from my shoulders to Mori's.

"Carry me to the exit!" He chirped happily and Mori dashed off as the twins sighed about not having a lot of time to enjoy ourselves, and the rest of us headed back to the limo.

I wasn't out of the water yet, because on the way back, Kyoya brought up the topic I'd been avoiding.

"I did not intend to offend you earlier, Toru-san." He said, the closest I'd probably get to an apology. "However, it is important to inform us about things that may affect your time spent in our club."

I grit my teeth, trying not to snap at him. "Always worried about your stupid club."

Haruhi sighed. "What I think he's trying to say, Toru, is that we were worried. You haven't look good the last few days."

Honey nodded. "We thought you might be getting sick!"

"You shouldn't stress out so much." Hikaru shrugged as Kaoru nodded.

"That's why we came here. Thought you might need a break."

That bubble of anger started to calm down and I turned my gaze out the window; growing sheepish and guilty for how I'd been acting lately, when they'd only been worried. _In their own strange way._

"Is your father alright?" Tamaki asked and I nodded slowly.

"Yeah. He was just overworked. He's trying to run the farm by himself almost, now that I'm away at school. He always pushes himself too hard though, and is stubborn to boot. Doesn't know when to stop and take a break."

"Can't you hire help?" Hikaru asked.

"Too expensive." I murmured. "There's not a whole lot of people in town to help, because they're all busy with their own farms and businesses. So, we'd have to hire someone from further away and the price to pay them starts to add up once you include travelling fare, food, and how long they work. My family just can't afford it right now. That's why I'm in school. I'm going to be taking over the business soon and am trying my best to make things better and more efficient."

"Sounds tough." Kaoru muttered and I nodded.

"I just wish the commute wasn't so far, or I'd be there helping…" I looked over at the hosts' expressions, varying from solemn to concerned and upset. "And… sorry, I guess. For snapping. I'm defensive when it comes to my family and my privacy. Information tends to get spread around quickly where I live, and not always the good kind. I try to keep a lid on things to stop pointless rumors going around. Otherwise… things can get tough. In our line of work, word of mouth means everything. If you don't have a good reputation, you're not worth jack."

The group nodded in understanding and I sighed softly. _Maybe it's not too bad… letting things out like this. I just… I'm just worried._

"Neh, it's okay, Toru-chan!" Honey grinned, drawing my gaze to him and a softly smiling Mori. "I'm sure your dad will be better in no time!"

The twins nodded. " **Definitely, if he's at one of Kyoya's hospitals.** "

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "I'll send word for them to give him their best care."

Tamaki grinned too, squeezing my shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing, Toru. We have to take care of ourselves too! We'll do everything we can to keep your spirits up!"

"A-Ah… thanks, I guess…" I muttered, a bit embarrassed, but nearly revealing a small smile.

 _Damn. I guess the Hosts aren't so bad after all…_


End file.
